Indian Creek Connectivity Project
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Tuesday, August 10th, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
ELGIN – Trout Unlimited (TU) announced today that the Indian Creek Connectivity Project will break ground in the second week of August. Hancock Natural Resource Group-Timber (HNRG) has partnered with TU on this project to improve aquatic habitat in Indian Creek, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River. Construction teams will remove several fish passage barriers, place large wood in the stream, reconnect floodplain habitats, and plant native shrubs to improve the overall health and function of Indian Creek. The Indian Creek watershed is home to endangered species such as Snake River steelhead, Chinook salmon, bull trout, state-sensitive redband trout, and Pacific lamprey, as well as a suite of other important aquatic and terrestrial species. Construction will commence in the first two weeks of August.
Indian Creek originates in the Wallowa Mountains and flows into the Grande Ronde River near Elgin, Oregon. The creek’s headwaters begin on Wallowa-Whitman National Forest land and continue downstream onto commercial and private timber lands before terminating in an agricultural valley at the confluence with the Grande Ronde River.
The project will remove three in-stream passage barriers including two concrete diversion dams, and one old roadbed with a culvert. Approximately 20 large wood structures for habitat complexity and floodplain connectivity will be placed in stream. The project will remove infrastructure built in the floodplain habitats including a roadbed and pumphouse. These floodplain areas will then be restored to their natural topography. The project area will be re-seeded and planted with native riparian plants. The aquatic connectivity and habitat restoration efforts will open more than 10 miles of critical habitat for juvenile salmon, steelhead, bull trout, and other fishes.
The project would not be possible without collaborative partnerships. TU and HNRG are leading this project. TU has focused on funding, permitting, design and implementation. HNRG provided significant in-kind staff time match and materials (large wood) to the project. Additional support has come from the Grande Ronde Model Watershed, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, Tetra-Tech, Inc., Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Hanging Rock Excavation and Construction.
About Trout Unlimited
Today, Trout Unlimited is a national organization with more than 155,000 volunteers organized into 400 chapters nationwide. These dedicated volunteers are paired with a respected staff of organizers, lawyers, policy experts and scientists, who work out of more than 30 offices. Our mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America’s cold-water fisheries and their watersheds. Follow TU on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and follow our blog for all the latest information on trout and salmon conservation.
About Hancock Natural Resource Group- Timber
Hancock Natural Resource Group, Inc., (HNRG) is a registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation. HNRG is comprised of two core businesses; Hancock Timber Resource Group (HTRG), which develops and manages timberland investments, and Hancock Agricultural Investment Group (HAIG), which develops and manages farmland investments. HNRG is committed to sustainability and responsible Investing, including the ongoing reduction of environmental impact and improvement of stewardship performance. HNRG takes into account social, environmental, economic, and ethical impacts of our actions by demonstrating a sense of responsibility toward the communities and environments in which we operate.
